BEDH_Tampa-16

Distance: 1.8 miles along three nature trails

Approximate hiking time: 1.5–2 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Trail surface: Sand, other natural surfaces, and boardwalk

Best season: Nov–May

Other trail users: None

Canine compatibility: Leashed dogs permitted

Fees and permits: Entrance fee required; no permits needed

Schedule: Open year-round 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Maps: Upper Tampa Bay Park Trails; USGS map: Oldsmar

Trail contacts: Upper Tampa Bay Park, 8001 Double Branch Road, Tampa 33635; (813) 855-1765; www.hillsboroughcounty.org/parks

Finding the trailhead: From exit 39 on I-275, take Veterans Expressway (FL 589) to Hillsborough Avenue (FL 580). Head west on Hillsborough Avenue for 6 miles to Double Branch Road. Turn left on Double Branch Road and follow it for 0.4 mile, then turn right to enter the park. Two of the trails start at the nature center, while the other is 0.6 mile along the park road on the right, after entering the park. Trailhead GPS coordinates: N28 0.795' / W82 38.026'

The Hike

As residents know, much of the shoreline along Tampa Bay has been developed. In fact, this park site was once slated to be a housing project, but Hillsborough County stepped in, so now everyone can enjoy this 596-acre peninsular park bordered by Old Tampa Bay and Double Branch Bay. Three superior nature paths, the Bobcat Trail, the Otter Trail, and the Eagle Trail, explore the preserve and provide an opportunity to see the wide variety of habitats firsthand. Enhance your Upper Tampa Bay Park adventure by bringing your canoe or kayak to paddle Double Branch Bay or bringing a meal to enjoy at the shaded picnic area. Be prepared to hike in the sun, even though plenty of trail passes through shady woodlands.

Start your hiking trifecta at the park nature center. From there, take the Bobcat Trail. This path offers watery views of the estuary against which the nature center is banked. It then circles around a mangrove swamp, along the transitional area where higher ground harbors pines and palms, ultimately returning to the nature center. The Otter Trail, at 0.7 mile, is the park’s longest path. It travels through pine flatwoods and open areas of freshwater marsh and saw palmetto scrub, but it also reveals views of the estuary along Double Branch Bay. This trail, like the others, is interspersed with informative interpretive displays, which increase your knowledge of this preserved portion of the bay. This trail also demonstrates how close the transitional environments are—sometimes just a few feet—between mangroves and dry pinelands. The path ultimately turns away from the water and cruises through pinelands before ending. The Eagle Trail is the most remote and least-used path of them all. This out-and-back affair enters an attractive live oak hammock, travels through the palm woods, and finally takes a boardwalk across a freshwater marsh before opening onto Mobbly Bay, which is a shallow bay inside greater Old Tampa Bay. At Mobbly Bay, gain far-reaching views from a platform that has steps leading down to the water. The floor of this shallow inlet will be exposed at low tide, and you may see footprints of people who decided to explore beyond the trail system. Be careful, as the bottom of Mobbly Bay may be mucky.

Miles and Directions

0.0As you face the nature center, look right for a Nature Trail sign and a concrete path that leads to a loop. Head left, walking clockwise, soon joining a wooden boardwalk, the Bobcat Trail, which opens out onto Double Branch Bay.

0.1Reach a mangrove estuary. The park canoe launch is visible to the left; keep right along the boardwalk, which soon turns away from the water.

0.4Complete the Bobcat Trail loop and pass the nature center. Follow the parking-area road to the family picnic area with restrooms, looking for another Nature Trail sign. This is the beginning of the Otter Trail. Walk it counterclockwise. Immediately span a marsh on a boardwalk, and then travel through pine flatwoods.

1.1The Otter Trail ends at the park playground and the group picnic area. (Option: A left turn on a concrete sidewalk at the trail’s end brings you back to the nature center parking area.) However, bear right and walk through the group picnic area, then cross the main park road to join the Eagle Trail.

1.2Enter a live oak hammock where widespread arms of moss-draped trees shade the path. The pungent smell of salt water will drift into your nostrils near Mobbly Bay.

1.5Meet Mobbly Bay at the Eagle Trail’s end. Here, a wooden platform offers a grand vista southwest into Old Tampa Bay. Backtrack to the trailhead.

1.8Reach the Eagle Trail trailhead. Walk the park road back to the nature center. (Option: Backtrack through the playground.)